Apparatus for making ornamental material



Nov. 23, 1943. A. ABRAMSON APPARATUS FOR MAKING ORNAMENTAL MATERIALFiled Dec. .7, 1940 INVENTOR flm/mm flfiramsan ATTORNEY Patented Nov.23, 1943 APPARATUS FOR MAKING ORNAMENTAL MATERIAL Abraham Abramson,

New York, N. Y., assignor to Raylite Trading Company, Inc.,

New York,

N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 7, 1940, SerialNo. 369,013 (of. 4.1-1)

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in methods and apparatus forturning out a product that is ornamental, and adapted to serve fordecorative purposes at holiday time and on other festal occasions.

An object of the invention is to devise a process and a machine forworking a strip of suitable material into a round body of considerablelength, with a central core, about which the strip is arranged in theform of a long spiral. The edges of the strip of the spiral make theedges of the turns of the spiral, which are waved or scalloped to add tothe ornamental appearance.

Another object is to provide a machine by which the strip can first beeasily and quickly plaited across its width, and then the core attached;to put the strip into readiness for twisting it and imparting theretoits final shape. The plaiting or crimping is done in a manner similar tothe mode of operation in certain kinds of textile machinery for pleatingor crimping cloth, so as to have ruifs therein, as when the cloth is tobe used in pieces of proper size for cuiis at the ends of sleeves, orcollars to be worn about the neck. The strip remains flat during thepleating, and is twisted as soon as the pleating is finished.

The objects and advantages of the invention are fully explained in theensuing description, taken with the accompanying drawing, whereon:

Figure 1 shows the complete arrangement of all the parts of themechanism for practicing my invention.

Figure 2 is a top view of the twisting carriage.

Figure 3 shows a. detail.

Figure 4 shows the strip at the beginning and at the end, of the step oftransversely pleating or crimping it.

Figure 5 shows the finished product.

Figure 6 illustrates in front elevation the guide rolls for the core ofthe article, partly in section on line 55-45 in Figure 1, and v Figure 7shows another type of rolls.

The same numerals identify the same parts and members throughout.

In the particular description of the mechanism that the drawingpresents, the numeral l denotes a strip of paper, Cellophane or thelike, having a chosen width; and 2 indicates filaments of wire or cordto be worked into the product and form the core thereof when the machineis in operation. The strip I is supplied by a reel 3 and the wires orfilaments 2 by separate reels 4; these reels being suitably supported torotate as the strip and the wires are unwound therefrom. The strip lfirst goes through the step of pre-pleating; and to this end it ispassed between a pair of fluted rollers 5. These rollers are at least aslong as the strip is broad, and as the strip comes out from betweenthem, it has transverse pleats or corrugations extending across fromedge to edge as indicated at la. Though I have shown rollers for thepurpose, any type of pleating or plaiting device of standard andwell-known design may be employed. The pleating may even be effected ina separate, preliminary operation, before the strip is placed upon thereel 3. The reels 3 and 4 may be geared to the rolls 5 and be actuatedby such connections, or they may be free to turn as the wires and stripare pulled; and in the latter instance any efficient braking orretarding means may be provided to prevent the reels from turning toofast and the material thereon from loosening. After leaving the pleatingrolls, the strip travels between a pair of guide rolls 6 for the wires,one of which is now laid upon each face of the strip. As the end of thestrip with the wires on its upper and lower faces emerges from the rolls6, this end and the wires are secured to a twister l, which revolves thewires and the strip around the long axis of the latter. The wires arethus twisted together and the strip simultaneously into an elongated,ropelike body 8, consisting of successive spirals, the edges of which,because of the pleating, are scal loped or convoluted, as shown at lb.

The power to drive the machine is supplied through a shaft 9, connectedto an electric motor or other unit, mounted in bearings, not shown, andcarrying a pulley iii. This pulley connects through a belt i i with apulley indicated at Ed on the shaft of the lower plaiting roll 5. Italso connects by means of a separate pulley illa thereon, a belt Ila,and a pulley Ea, with the lower wire guide-roll 6. The upper guide rollhas a pulley 6b on the shaft thereof from which runs a belt lib to apulley 51) on the upper pleating roll 5; and the two rolls 6 havepreferably positive engagement with each other through gears 6c affixedto the shafts thereof. Hence rotation of the shaft 9 will cause all therolls to revolve at the required speed and in the necessary directions.

I of course can use sprocket gears and chains in place of pulleysandbelts, to actuate the plaiting rolls and the wire rolls from the mainshaft 9 without slip, so that the plaiting rolls and the wire guiderolls will be turned with power enough to feed the strip forward and atthe same time be maintained in step with each other. The gears are ofcourse calculated so that the members 5 and rolls feed the strip andwires ahead at the same rate to keep the strip flat and level.

The twister l carries a shaft l2 which revolves, and at the same time iscaused to move away from the rolls ii. At its end it has a pair of jawsit, through which is passed a clamping screw Ita, having a wing nutI311. When the end of the strip is inserted between the jaws I3, and thescrew tightened, the movement of the bar or shaft l2 away from the rolls6 will of course pull the strip and Wires with it. This the wheel 11b isfixed to the frame, and the wheel l'lb turns freely thereon. Theremaining wheel l'lc, which is on the opposite side of the frame,

rotates on a journal rigidwith the frame |6.

n the rotatable axle I8 is a gear l9 which engages with a gear 2i] onthe shaft I2; the axle I 8 in Figure 2 being shown as if broken awaynear one end to reveal the gear 20 below it. This shaft is mounted inhanger bearings 2i which are supported from the axles l8 and E819, andof course do not interfere with the rotation of the former. Thesebearings have hooks 2m which enable them to be put into positionquickly, and the rear bearing 20 is fixed to the fixed shaft |8b as bybinding screws 21b. Collars on the shaft [2, indicated at l 2a, in frontand rear of the bearing on the shaft l8b, prevent lengthwise motion ofthe shaft I2, so that the gears l9 and 29 are maintained in mesh. Thegears I 9 and 26 are shown as skew gears, but obviously any suitablegearing between the shafts I8 and. i2 may be employed.

The rails l5 may be as long as desired. The

carriage [4 may be impelled along the rails in any manner, as byattaching a cord to the front end and taking up the cord on a reel ordrum. The drum may be turned by hand or by a motor. As the carriagemoves, the rollers Ila, through the axle l8 and gears l9 and will turnthe shaft l2 to twist the strip and wires in the manner set forth.Twisting attachments of this general type are well known, and either thetwister shown and described above, or others now in use may be employed.In any case when the product has been pulled out to the length, andtwisted to the extent decided upon, the machine is stopped; the finishedstrip removed, and the carriage moved back to its starting point nearthe rolls 6. The operation is then repeated. The wheeled twistingcarriage will of course be heavy enough to rest firmly on the rails l5,and ensure that the rollers will be turned with enough power to rotatethe shaft I2. Gears l9 and 2|] will be of any desired ratio. Ifpreferred, the rollers [1a, Ill) and He can be replaced by gears and therails by toothed rack bars, so that motion of the carriage will cause,with more certainty, sufiicient rotation of the shaft l2.

By this apparatus, a product is easily obtained inlong pieces for use asgarlands or festoons, or forcutting into shorterlengths and otherwiseutilized. The strips I can be of various width, and in any colordesired.

The rolls 6 are mounted in bearings 22, which they engage by means oftrunnions or shafts 23. The top shafts are pressed upon by shoes 24 inthe bearings to regulate the contact of the rolls; screws 25 in thebearings controlling the pressure of the shoes. Near the middle, eachroll has a pair of flanges 26, to form circumferential grooves 21 toguide the wires 2 as they pass between these rolls. From these flangesto the ends, the rollers will be separated a suiiicient distance toavoid smoothing out the pleats la, and the flanges will affordsuificient engagement with the strip to feed it with the wires throughthe rolls 6. If desired the rollers may have knobs or protuberances 28of rubber or any other substance of the right kind to assist in movingthe strip l smoothly forward.

From the foregoing description, it will be clear that the constructionset forth is well adapted to serve the purpose of the invention, andfacilitate the manufacture of the material at low cost.

While I.have set forth a specific machine, with parts and membersdescribed in detail, the dis a closure is intended as explanatory only,and I .and a twister to form the strip am not to be limited to the exactparts and connections illustrated; but reserve the right to make anychanges that are in keeping with the nature of the invention and that donot depart from the principle of the same.

The rolls 5 and 6 are caused to run at the same peripheral speed, tofeed the strip and wires forward smoothly; and any tendency of theflanges to obliterate the pleats is confined to the center of the strip,where it will not be noticed. The knobs 28 will not press out the pleatsto any marked extent. The pleating may be more or less fine; and thefiner it is, the fuller will be the body of the product when completed.This is a marked advantage, due to the operation of prepleating beforethe strip i combined with the wires or filaments for twisting.

I may also provide rolls 6 with bands 29 projecting a short distancefrom said rolls, in place of knobs 28. The strip I will be fed forwardby the frictional engagement of the bands 29 with the strip; and thefinages 26 may be so arranged that they merely form the groove for thewires and do not press on the strip. The bands 29 will be near thewires, so that if they press out the pleats somewhat, the efiect willagain be near the middle of the strip, where it will not be noticed.

Having described my invention, what I believe to be new and desire tosecure and protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination of a reel for a strip, and a pair of reels forfilaments, rollers to receive the strip between them and work transverseplaits in said strip, guide rolls for receiving the strip and thefilaments and advancing same, one of the latter upon each face of thestrip, said guide rolls being spaced apart to prevent smoothing out ofsaid plaits, means for actuating the plaitin rollers and guide rolls tofeed the strip and filaments forward, and a twisting device to revolve'thestrip and filaments together as they leave the guide rolls.

2. The combination of guide rolls to receive filaments and a pleatedstrip between same, said rolls being mounted in spaced apart relation toavoid smoothing out said strip, said rolls having knob projections tofeed the strip through them, and the filaments into a spiral as theyleave said rolls.

3. The combination of guide rolls to receive filaments and a pleatedstrip between them, said rolls being mounted in spaced apart relation toavoid smoothing out said strip, said rolls having band projections nearthe center to feed the strip through them, and a twister to form thestrip at}? the filament into a spiral as they leave the ro s.

ABRAHAM ABRAMSON.

